Posts by MaudeW

10

How to succeed in field service w/o really trying

by joe_from_kokomo in

ah, field service .

that joy of knocking on a total stranger's doors to try to sell them on your own religious doctrines.

isn't it joyful?

MaudeW

I always hated field service and grabbed every opportunity to do rural visits because you spent more time driving and there was always a good chance nobody was home. It's a wonder more JW's aren't blown away with the current trend being what it is. Ya know, not once have I ever talked to anyone who was "happy" to see the JW's coming!

7

Answer door?

by Phil in

a few years ago we lived in a different city and my wife and i had a battle when a jw would come to the door.

my wife liked to hide and like to answer the door and talk to them.

i am rather stubborn that way.

MaudeW

No to both questions Sandra.

19

Listening To The Answer To Your Prayers

by MaudeW in

i've always been curious about this.

i'm an ex-jw with serious god issues but enough about me.

in all the years i was a witness, i was always taught the proper way to pray.

MaudeW

Thanks everybody. You've given me a lot to think about.

24

Climbing the Walls

by Sargon in

i've been planning this for 4 months, well sort of.

the planning took 5 minutes the procrastination has taken up the rest of the time.

after 26 years of indulging, i've finally tried to quit smoking.

MaudeW

Ooh I know a lot of this subject! I quit two years ago. I got all my support online. I have some great websites for you! One place I visited a lot was http://www.quitsmokingdiaries.com You can check in there with people who are going through the same thing you are. http://www.quitnet.com will hook you up with a quitmeter that will measure how many days, weeks hours and minutes you've been quit, how many cigarettes you haven't smoked and how much accumulated money you are saving. It's a great motivator. Another site that I made myself go to was http://www.whyquit.com It has experiences of people who have died of cancer. The list is long, the pictures and the stories are gruesome but I made myself look at them so that I could burn it into my brain what I was saving myself from - kind of an aversion therapy if you will.

Drink lots of water because the nicotine is going to start coming out of your pores. I had black gunk coming out of my nose, my ears, etc. (Probably more about me than you EVER wanted to know right? )

Keep saving your money that you don't spend on cigarettes. My boss did and she was able to go on a cruise at the end of a year! I bought myself an opal and diamond ring after my first year! Reward yourself! You are doing a hard thing!

Your Quit Date is: 9/5/2000

Time Smoke-Free: 889 days, 22 hours, 14 minutes and 36 seconds

Cigarettes NOT smoked: 22248

Lifetime Saved: 5 months, 19 days, 22 hours

Money Saved: $3,944.94

Edited by - MaudeW on 11 February 2003 22:14:58

20

Do YOU answer the door now?

by christopherceo in

when i left the org the elders would come by at the most inopportune time at least every day sometimes twice.

i never answered the door, i just continued doing whatever it was i was doing and ignored the pounding at the door knowing it ticked them off because they knew i was home.

when the witnesses randomly come to my door now i still don't answer but have thought about it just to give them hell.

MaudeW

I'd get out my Ouija board and put it on my kitchen table so they could see it when they first come in, then I'd invite them into the living room where my DVD of "The Exorcist" would be playing loudly.

7

Answer door?

by Phil in

a few years ago we lived in a different city and my wife and i had a battle when a jw would come to the door.

my wife liked to hide and like to answer the door and talk to them.

i am rather stubborn that way.

MaudeW

Hi Phil:

Can't say I hate Jehovah's Witnesses because I used to be one of them. I pity them because they are brainwashed "sheep" like I was. I wanted to respond to your post though. I thought it was interesting that the "sister" took your book. I can't believe she did that! I remember wanting to discuss anti-JW literature one time with a regular pioneer and she told me to throw it in the garbage - she didn't even want to see it because, "You don't have to learn a lie to tell the truth." They have so many pat answers to questions they don't know the real answer too. I do hope this gal read Mr. Franz's book, but I wouldn't hold my breath. That would take independent though, something that Jehovah's Witnesses are not allowed to possess.

10

Daughter still in Patterson

by Phil in

my daughter was cohersed to marry her present husband and they moved to patterson to do what ever they do there.

it realy affected the family, particularly me.

i was wondering if there is anyone who reads these messages knows my daughter.

MaudeW

Hey Phil:

I'm curious as to which Patterson you are talking about. I am familiar with Paterson, WA. How far off am I?

19

Listening To The Answer To Your Prayers

by MaudeW in

i've always been curious about this.

i'm an ex-jw with serious god issues but enough about me.

in all the years i was a witness, i was always taught the proper way to pray.

MaudeW

Thanks for all your replies. I appreciate it. You know it was interesting because for a period of time I attended Alanon meetings (got rid of my reason to attend in a divorce but that's another story! ) I remember them talking about how to hear the answer to your prayers. It is totally open to personal interpretation but they suggested that it might come in the form of a conversation you might overhear, a magazine article, a song on the radio, etc. It was nothing earth shattering and supposedly so subtle that you might miss it if you weren't paying attention. I know a lot of people believe this and it brings them comfort.

I could never figure out how, when I was a JW, anyone could love this jealous, murderous God. I had no family or friends that were JW's. I dragged my family members through Bible studies but none of my family took the bait. I remember being so depressed and so miserable that all of my family and friends were going to die at Armeggeddon. Plus I was terrified of the Great Tribulation. How horrible for a God to make his people suffer starvation, rape, persecution, etc. Maybe I'm getting off topic, but if you can't even believe that your God hears your prayers, how can you love him? I never understood how so many people could actually be happy being a witness, going out in field service (which I hated and had absolutely no gift for whatsoever) giving talks, going to assemblies, etc. I know a woman whose been a witness all her life and she's in her 90's now. She says she loves "the truth." What does she know that I don't know?

What I wanna know now if you will is, did you ever love Jehovah?

19

Listening To The Answer To Your Prayers

by MaudeW in

i've always been curious about this.

i'm an ex-jw with serious god issues but enough about me.

in all the years i was a witness, i was always taught the proper way to pray.

MaudeW

I've always been curious about this. I'm an ex-JW with serious God issues but enough about me. In all the years I was a witness, I was always taught the proper way to pray. I knew to put something on my head if there was a brother in the building to show subjection, I knew to talk to Jehovah through Jesus name, etc. I knew what I could and could not ask for, but at no time did anyone ever teach me how to listen for the answer to my prayer. I cannot tell you how many times I got this advice, "Leave it in Jehovah's hands and don't do anything to take it back into your own." What the hell does that mean anyway? Nobody could ever explain it to me.

Did ya'll ever experience a two-way communication going on when you were JW's or were you just there because of guilt and terror like me? Thanks for any feedback.

22

I have been free for 1647 days!!!

by Elsewhere in

jw
friends

i've been free for 1647 days!!!

four years!!!

i left the borg on august 9, 1998 and have been enjoying every minute of it!!!

MaudeW

Since the early 90's. Yay!